Harbor Ridge Resort, Maine Local Area Info

[kwelty]

Here is a list of local attractions from Harbor Ridge's website and you can look there for information about the resort. https://harborridge.com/local-attractions/
Their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Harbor-Ridge-Resort-129487700413888/
points out that you now have to have reservations to go up Cadillac Mountain.

 

[amycurl]

Hi! The resort and most everything around it is open; I believe that they are still doing reserved times for the pool and none of the activities. But if you have specific questions, please ask and I can check with my mother, who is on the HOA board (and lives on the island.) Note: the season doesn't really start until later in June, so if things are still closed, it's because it's still the shoulder season, not necessarily COVID-related.

Acadia Improv has moved off-island, and Diver Ed's Dive-In Theater has moved to Eastport (but that's actually a nice day trip....and you can get *the best mustard ever* at Raye's while you are up there.)

Our favorite restaurant on the island, Seafood Ketch on Bass Harbor, opened this weekend. I think you should expect LARGE crowds in popular areas of the park. The Island Explorer is running, but not on the western side of the island at all, so you will have to drive more from Harbor Ridge. As mentioned above, you will need a reservation if you want to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain.

 

[tonyg]

Not sure about the cruise ships. If they are coming, Bar Harbor and the park will be crowded. Harbor Ridge will probably have the schedule if they are coming. If you have a desire to go to the Jordan Pond House, pick a day when the ships are not in.

 

[mdurette]

OP here - I ended up giving the week to my in-laws to use, they loved their trip. I recall them chatting alot about going on a lobster boat, catching dinner and cooking it up. I will have to see if my MIL recalls anything more about it.

 

[tonygraz@iwon.com]

I'm at Acadia Village Resort now if anyone has any questions- ask away. Thought I heard the sightseeing train whistle from the patio this afternoon.
Reservations are still required to go up Cadillac Mountain primarily due to parking availability which has often been a problem. No cruise ships in Bar Harbor this year. Phase 1 here at the resort is half done with A/C installation. Unfortunately our unit is in the undone half. Looks like just about all the restaurants are open and masks are not required in some places indoors. Maine was the second most vaccinated state in the country as of last week.

 

[tonyg]

How did I get 2 avatars - one with an email provider that no longer exists (see above post). Turns out there are different things on my 2 laptops, with the old one having the T in a circle and the new one having my cat avatar. Not quite sure how this happened within TUG's programming unless the old laptop info was associated with the old TUG program.

 

[tonyg]

Can't believe we never went to the park on this trip. Closed restaurants noticed in Ellsworth: Tan Turtle/ Turtle, Burger King and Denny's. The last 2 were on my avoid list anyway. There's a new Thai restaurant on route 1 where the old one was.

 

[melissy123]

I did my reservation for Cadillac Mountain today. The best time to be there is sunrise yet the earliest timed entry is an hour past sunrise. Is there no way to get there earlier?

 

[dmbrand]

I looked on the national park service website, and they list reservations as early as 3:30am with a two hour window, ending at 5:30am. Perhaps, the reservations are already filled. We did watch the sunrise one year, and it was busy then, back in 2015 in July. To be honest, this wasn’t the highlight of our trip. My daughter made us get up at 3:30 to do this experience. Still glad we did, but I wouldn’t have been disappointed if we missed it. lol. There are soooo many other wonderful experiences at Acadia. Paddle board on Long Pond for the stillness and beauty, for one.

 

[mdurette]

Just an FYI for those of you going soon. There was a massive rain storm to hit the area last week that took out some of their carriage roads. Some are closed:

Current Conditions - Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

 

[MommaBear]

I looked on the national park service website, and they list reservations as early as 3:30am with a two hour window, ending at 5:30am. Perhaps, the reservations are already filled. We did watch the sunrise one year, and it was busy then, back in 2015 in July. To be honest, this wasn’t the highlight of our trip. My daughter made us get up at 3:30 to do this experience. Still glad we did, but I wouldn’t have been disappointed if we missed it. lol. There are soooo many other wonderful experiences at Acadia. Paddle board on Long Pond for the stillness and beauty, for one.

They open up 70% of the Cadillac Mtn reservations 48 hours before... We were there last week and didn't find out until we got home.

 

[Ubil]

I've been trying to reach Carriages of Acadia for 3 days and the phone is never answered, not even an answering machine. I also used the Contact Us Form, but no response to that. I called Harbor Ridge and they did not get a response either, but they did say that they spoke to them last week. The numbers I am using are on their web site: 1-207-276-5721 and 1-877-276-3622. Has anyone reached them in the past few days? I want to make a reservation for mid-September.

 

[melissy123]

We will be at Harbor Ridge in three weeks. We fly into Manchester the night before check-in and then will drive up the next day. Wondering what is a good place to stock up on veggies/fruits/wine before arriving at Harbor Ridge. We usually would do a Costco run but imagine my surprise to find out there are NO Costco stores in Maine.

Would appreciate any tips as to where to stop on the way to Bar Harbor or where to shop in and around Bar Harbor.

 

[JeffC]

There's a grocery store in Ellsworth that you pass on the way to Mt Desert Island. I can't remember if its a Hannaford but its a similar store.

 

[missyrcrews]

Ellsworth has Hannaford, Shaw's, and Walmart. Between the 3, you should be all set. Just got home from Acadia Village Resort. We had an awesome week! Great part of Maine!

 

[melissy123]

Best place to find a good bagel? Or good bread?

 

[amycurl]

Bagels, maybe not so much. (Milagro’s, maybe?) Good bread would be Little NoTch Bakery in SW Harbor.


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[tonyg]

When we used to exchange into Harbor Ridge we sometimes stopped at the nearby West Side Market on route 3 for a small purchase (they might even have a bakery). Ellsworth was always the place for big grocery purchases.